Effect of simulated microgravity on metabolism of HGC-27 gastric cancer cells

The understanding into the pathogenesis and treatment of gastric cancer has improved in recent years; however, a number of limitations have delayed the development of effective treatment. Cancer cells can undergo glycolysis and inhibit oxidative phosphorylation in the presence of oxygen (Warburg effect). Previous studies have demonstrated that a rotary cell culture system (RCCS) can induce glycolytic metabolism. In addition, the potential of regulating cancer cells by targeting their metabolites has led to the rapid development of metabolomics. In the present study, human HGC-27 gastric cancer cells were cultured in a RCCS bioreactor, simulating weightlessness. Subsequently, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to examine the effects of simulated microgravity (SMG) on the metabolism of HGC-27 cells. A total of 67 differentially regulated metabolites were identified, including upregulated and downregulated metabolites. Compared with the normal gravity group, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, phosphatidyl choline, arachidonic acid and sphinganine were significantly upregulated in SMG conditions, whereas sphingomyelin, phosphatidyl serine, phosphatidic acid, L-proline, creatine, pantothenic acid, oxidized glutathione, adenosine diphosphate and adenosine triphosphate were significantly downregulated. The Human Metabolome Database compound analysis revealed that lipids and lipid-like metabolites were primarily affected in an SMG environment in the present study. Overall, the findings of the present study may aid our understanding of gastric cancer by identifying the underlying mechanisms of metabolism of the disease under SMG.